Airtight container

ABSTRACT

An airtight container is provided with a venting apparatus. The venting apparatus includes a flexible housing unit and a check valve disposed in the housing unit. The flexible housing unit includes a chamber defined therein, an upper aperture in communication with the chamber, a lower aperture in communication with the chamber and an external annular groove defined in the periphery for receiving an edge of an aperture defined in an airtight container. The check valve prevents air from entering the airtight container through the upper and lower apertures sequentially but allows air to leave the airtight container through the lower and upper apertures sequentially.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to an airtight container and, moreparticularly, an airtight container equipped with a venting apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Airtight containers are popular for reasons. Firstly, they protectobjects from outside air. Secondly, they are inexpensive.

However, airtight containers cannot be used to contain sorts of foodsuch as roasted coffee beans and curry. Roasted coffee beans releasecarbon dioxide. Should roasted coffee beans be contained in airtightcontainers, they would release carbon dioxide that expands the airtightcontainers. The problem is worse with roasted coffee powder. Shouldroasted coffee powder be contained in airtight containers, it wouldrelease a large amount of carbon dioxide that would burst the airtightcontainers.

Therefore, roasted coffee beans are or curry is often disposed inairtight bags equipped with check valves. The check valves allow air toleave the airtight bags but prevent air from entering the airtight bags.The check valves allow air, namely carbon dioxide released from theroasted coffee beans or curry, to leave the airtight bags but preventair from entering the airtight bags. Thus, the degradation of theroasted coffee beans that would otherwise be caused by the air from theoutside and the explosion of the airtight bag are prevented.

The check valves are attached to the airtight bags in high frequencyprocesses. The high frequency processes cannot be used to attach checkvalves to airtight containers.

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at leastalleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide anairtight container with a venting apparatus.

According to the present invention, the venting apparatus includes aflexible housing unit and a check valve disposed in the housing unit.The flexible housing unit includes a chamber defined therein, an upperaperture in communication with the chamber, a lower aperture incommunication with the chamber and an external annular groove defined inthe periphery for receiving an edge of an aperture defined in theairtight container. The check valve prevents air from entering theairtight container through the upper and lower apertures sequentiallybut allows air to leave the airtight container through the lower andupper apertures sequentially.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description referring to the attacheddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via the detailed illustration ofthe preferred embodiment referring to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an airtight container equipped with aventing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the airtight container and ventingapparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the airtight container and ventingapparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial exploded view of the airtight containershown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the airtightcontainer shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, an airtight container includes a can 90, a cover 91and a venting mechanism 100 according to the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. The cover 91 can be attached to and detached from thecan 90. The venting mechanism 100 is attached to the cover 91. Aircannot enter a space defined with the can 90 and the cover 91. Air canleave the space only via the venting mechanism 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, there is an aperture 92 defined in thecover 91. The venting mechanism 100 includes a housing unit 10 and acheck valve 20. The housing unit 10 includes a plug 11 and a cover 12.Both of the plug 11 and cover 12 are made of a flexible material such assilicone and rubber.

The plug 11 is in the form of a hemisphere including a plain face 111and a dome-shaped face 112. A cavity 113 is defined in the plain face111 of the plug 11. An annular groove 116 is defined in the wall of thecavity 113. An aperture 115 is defined in the dome-shaped face 112 sothat the aperture 115 is in communication with the cavity 113.

The cover 12 is formed with a first plain face 121 and a second plainface 122 opposite to the first plain face 121. An aperture 123 isdefined in the first plain face 121. A cavity 124 is defined in thesecond plain face 122. The aperture 123 is in communication with thecavity 124. An annular groove 125 is defined in the periphery of thecover 12, between the first plain face 121 and the second plain face122.

The check valve 20 consists of a seat 21 and a membrane 22. The seat 21is formed with a first plain face 211 and an opposite second plain face212. A cavity 213 is defined in the seat 21. Tabs 214 are formed on thewall of the cavity 213. Apertures 215 are defined in the second plainface 212 so that the apertures 215 are in communication with the cavity213. An annular flange 216 is formed around the seat 21.

In assembly, the membrane 22 is disposed in the cavity 213. The diameterof the membrane 22 is marginally smaller than the diameter of the cavity213 so that the membrane 22 is movable in the cavity 213, between thefloor of the cavity 213 and the tabs 214.

The seat 21 is disposed in the cavity 113. The flange 216 is disposed inthe annular groove 116. The second plain face 122 of the cover 12 isattached to the plain face 111 of the plug 11 via an adhesive material.The cavity 124 is in communication with the cavity 113 so that thecavities 124 and 113 together form a chamber. The plug 11 is movedthrough the aperture 92 so that a waist of the cover 12 is disposed inthe aperture 92 while the edge of the aperture 92 is disposed in theannular groove 125 of the cover 12.

In operation, air cannot enter a space defined with the can 90 and thecover 91 through the check valve 20 because the membrane 22 rests on thefloor of the cavity 213 and seals the apertures 215. Lower than apredetermined value of pressure, air cannot leave the space because theweight of the membrane 22 causes the membrane to rest on the floor ofthe cavity 213 and seal the apertures 215. Exceeding the predeterminedvalue of pressure, air can leave the space after pushing the membrane 22from the floor of the cavity 213 and opening the apertures 215.

Roasted coffee beans or curry can be disposed in the airtight container.The check valve 20 prevents air from entering the airtight container butallows carbon dioxide released by the roasted coffee beans or curry toleave the airtight bags. Therefore, the degradation of the roastedcoffee beans or curry that would otherwise be caused by the air from theoutside and the explosion of the airtight container are avoided.Moreover, only a small portion of the aroma of the roasted coffee beansor curry would be lost since air can only leave the airtight containervia the valve 20 when it exceeds the predetermined value of pressure.

The present invention has been described via the detailed illustrationof the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derivevariations from the preferred embodiment without departing from thescope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodimentshall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in theclaims.

1. An airtight container-used venting apparatus comprising: a flexiblehousing unit comprising a chamber defined therein, an upper aperture incommunication with the chamber, a lower aperture in communication withthe chamber and an external annular groove defined in the periphery forreceiving an edge of an aperture defined in an airtight container; and acheck valve disposed in the housing unit for preventing air fromentering the airtight container through the upper and lower aperturessequentially while allowing air to leave the airtight container throughthe lower and upper apertures sequentially.
 2. The venting apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the housing unit comprises: a plugcomprising a cavity defined in an upper side, wherein the lower apertureis defined in a lower side of the plug so that the lower aperture is incommunication with the cavity; and a cover comprising a cavity definedin a lower side, wherein the upper aperture is defined in an upper sideof the cover so that the upper aperture is in communication with thecavity thereof, and the cavity of the cover and the cavity of the plugtogether form the chamber when the cover is attached to the plug.
 3. Theventing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing unit is madeof a material selected from a group consisting of silicone and rubber.4. The venting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing unitcomprises an internal annular groove defined in the wall of the chamber,and the check valve comprises an annular flange disposed in the internalannular groove of the housing unit.
 5. The venting apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the housing unit is substantially in the form of ahemisphere.
 6. The venting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thecheck valve comprises: a seat disposed in the housing unit, the seatcomprising a cavity defined therein and at least one aperture incommunication with the cavity and tabs formed on the wall of the cavity;and a membrane movably disposed in the cavity for preventing air fromentering the airtight container when the membrane rests on the floor ofthe cavity and closes the aperture but allowing air to leave theairtight container after pushing the membrane from the floor of thecavity and opening the aperture.
 7. The venting apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the seat comprises an annular flange formed on theperiphery, and the housing unit comprises an annular groove forreceiving the annular flange.
 8. The venting apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the seat comprises tabs formed on the wall of thecavity for restraining the movement of the membrane.